I recently purchased a new NX 350 in Nov 2024..Car currently has less than 700 miles on speedometer and rarely used. Over the weekend the AC quit working. After taking to the dealer it was determined that a rock, the size of a quarter passed through the front grill, struck the AC condenser causing a Freon leak that was not fixable. A new condenser was installed at a cost of $2855. The dealer refused to honor the new car warranty calling it a “ road hazard” and a very uncommon once in a million freak event.
I feel this is a design flaw if the grill does not adequately protect the condenser from damage like this.
I have made an appeal to Lexus to cover the repair based on my claim of a design flaw.
Any one else experience this kind of damage due to front grill design flaw?

 

Hmmm… sounds a little typical of a “stealership” not wanting to honor your warranty…
Did they show you the video or have you look at evidence showing why they think a quarter size rock could slip through your grill with such force and hit your AC condenser? Is there damage to your grill? I’m thinking getting the rock through the grill would cause the momentum of the rock to slow down and not hit the condenser so hard. But I don’t claim to know the positioning of the condenser to the grill. I’m just glad you made an appeal.

Since they’re calling it a “road hazard”, have you called your insurance to see if they’d cover the cost? I know that’s risking your ins premiums going up but worth a shot as you don’t have to file a claim through them if you can get the dealership to cover the cost. And paying your deductible is far better than paying the total amount.

Okay, just my 2 cents…

 

Yea, its pretty uncommon that dealers will accept warranty claims due to impact damage, whether its a tiny pebble taking out the condenser or a tree falling on your car, they usually consider it the same situation. I have heard some people making insurance claims instead for more expensive claims. But you never know, sometimes Lexus corporate might do a good will repair or cover part of the cost, so keep trying.

 

Sorry about your luck .....After reading your post, I went out and looked at the grill on my 2025 NX450+ and YES, the grill openings could easily let a marble sized stone through that could impact the AC condenser.... I don't see much differeence between that and a pea sized (or larger) rock hitting your windshield. Both are expensive repairs, the result of "road hazzard" impacts. I also called my insurance company and both are covered by my comp coverage. I would let your insurance company cover it, that's why you purchase insurance.

 

You state 'taking' I'm assuming this isn't a typo and you didn't mean 'talking' these are 2 different scenarios. I would first of all expect that if you were waiting for the car in the dealership, they would come get you to see the damage and begin discussing their proposed resolution for you to approve, before beginning the repair. If you weren't at the dealership, they should have called you and discussed, you can always say 'hold on till I get there I want to see the damage first'. Then with an estimate in hand you could discuss options if any, to maybe put in a used one, or aftermarket if they exist. I know it's gut wrenchingly expensive, the headlights are in that price range too!

Some vehicles grills have very large openings that small birds can go through too. It's certainly would be considered not a robust design, road debris the size of a small pea or less, if travelling towards your condenser or radiator at highway speed is like a bullet and it's gonna tear into your flimsy aluminum cooler very easily. This is unfortunately not uncommon, unlike what the dealer told you. These coolers behind your grill are made of aluminum that is only a few thousands of an inch thick, think pop can thick. I should know, I use to work for a company that made them for auto manufacturers.

 

This has been an issue with Lexus since I purchased my first one. The A/C sits low enough that road debris will damage the unit

My very first modification to each Lexus was to Zip Tie some mesh screen to the grill

After driving awhile you can see the marks in the screen from rocks and debris

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-2...n-air-dam.html

 

Here is another grill protection thread on the topic of grill protection

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...nd-leaves.html

 

for sure falls under comprehensive coverage insurance.

 

On this past Saturday I was stranded in the middle of nowhere on the side of the fire was in my 2024 Lexus NX 350H, which had only 10,000 mile.. A warning, Hybrid System Malfunction, had appeared. I waited 3 hours for a tow back to Newport Beach to the dealer. On Monday the dealer said a small rock must have gone through the grill and hit the radiator, and pink liquid was spilling out. There had been no pink liquid where I waited 3 hours and no pink liquid on the flat bed truck! I am appealing to Leues because I also. believe this is a design flaw .

 

In another thread I mentioned my experience w my second rock/pebble and my windshield.... at 70 mph or more, we are at the mercy of whatever is flying at us on the road....Any part of our car is vulnerable....heck, I had a PPF installed on my hood and front end...by month number 3 I had a nick in the hood film.(does not look like it penetrated the paint)..... even though we may use an additional mesh screen, it doesn't mean a pebble or rock cant unluckily align perfectly to damage the front part of any vehicle......
Let us know if your Lexus claim is successful.

 

Prior to my NX, I had a 2017 Audi A6. I had the exact same issue with the exact same result from Audi and the dealership. My insurance paid for the repair, minus the deductible.

 

Road Hazzard happens and in this case it is a very rare occurrence. If it were me, i would leave the grill exactly as it is and not ruin the aesthetics with some aftermarket pseudo protection. You will find very few warranties that actually cover true road hazards. Sorry it happened to you.

YMMV,
MidCow3

 

Happened on my Brand New GX550 with 4500 miles Apparently they couldn't afford to put a $5 Plastic Mesh Screen with a 1/4" or 3/8" waffle an inch in front of the AC condenser to absorb impacts $2700

 

-amazing the advice that you may find on this board....reminds me of the SNL skit .The line "It is better to look good than to feel good" was a central catchphrase for Billy Crystal’s popular character, Fernando, on Saturday Night Live
Common sense is not that common. I am in the camp of.... if you can prevent a pebble ruining your trip and hassle of a repair.... its worth the extra effort.....
just my opinion....

 

Did you try to go through your insurance company under comprehensive, like one could possibly do for any road hazard causing damage, such as a rock hitting your windshield? Windshields can also be quite expensive with the rain sensors and HUD.

An owner of a brand new car doesn't necessarily mean they know what could possibly happen to their vehicles that could cause that kind of damage. Usually, one finds out if they join a forum and reads through threads of such freak accidents occurring. That's how I found out about this one. If an owner belongs to a car enthusiast forum, then yes, they might've read about situations like this before.

The fact that the design itself can lead to potential damages like these, should tell the makers to fix the design or add special protection around the A/C condenser or maybe move it to another location where it's harder to damage by flying rocks.

It IS an unfortunate freak thing for a rock to hit the grill at just the right angle as to penetrate the grill and cause damages to the AC condenser.

Yes, after reading this thread a year ago, I have thought about this happening to us. And no, I haven't taken any precautions to date. So yes, that's on us.

As new owners such as @TexLexGX -- I would hope either my car insurance would take care of it or Lexus corporate (if you had to elevate your complaint) would offer some measure of goodwill, like partially paying for the out-of-pocket costs to repair damage.

Wishful thinking? Maybe.

Next car purchase, I will probably look at the grill long and hard before deciding to take a chance or not, or try to find out as much as I could about potential issues with the car so I am as informed as possible. Even then, I probably won't find everything that could happen to the car.